Stockton Played Home to Nearly 2,000 Utility Workers During Recovery From June Storm

housed 1,753 workers over the course of nine nights in the aftermath of the derecho storm of June 30, according to college officials.

On one night during the cleanup, 222 workers were staying at the College Campus Center.

Utility workers from all over the country came to the school, arriving from states such as Michigan, Iowa and Florida, among others. They would sleep on mattresses at the college.

The makeshift beds were set up in the food court, theater and green room, and were separate from the roughly 30 students still on campus taking summer classes.

Those students were set to go home when the college lost power, but Atlantic County declared a State of Emergency, so students stayed put.

The college operated on a backup generator for two days, before power was restored on Sunday night, July 1.

“I received a phone call asking if we could house utility workers,” Stockton College President Dr. Herman J. Saatkamp said. “We had workmen sleeping on mats on the floor for nine days, but by the time Monday morning (July 9) rolled around, you never would’ve known anyone was here.”

Each morning, the workers would head over to the Atlantic City Race Course in Mays Landing for breakfast, and head out into the field to help out with the repairs.

They played an integral part in helping Atlantic City Electric restore power to 206,000 customers who lost power over the course of nearly two weeks.

 In the weeks following the derecho, the county has requested aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez reiterated the call for help in a letter written to President Barack Obama on Friday.

Earlier in the week, the Galloway Office of Emergency Management said it was told by FEMA that Galloway met the threshold for receiving assistance following the storm, but there was no guarantee Galloway would receive it.